Gareth Southgate set to be named interim England boss but FA likely to look elsewhere for permanent manager

GARETH SOUTHGATE is  set to be named  interim boss as the FA hunt for   Roy Hodgson’s  long-term successor.

Three Lions chiefs have asked Under-21s manager  Southgate if he wants to take charge of England’s first World Cup qualifier away to Slovakia on September 4.

The FA will  consult senior players such as Wayne Rooney before making a final decision.

And they  are likely to sound out  West Ham’s Slaven Bilic, Claudio Ranieri of Leicester and Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger — even though he is hoping to land a new Emirates deal.

FA chief executive  Martin Glenn said: “We’d like to get one for the first World Cup qualifier — but if we don’t we have an interim plan in mind.

“If you said, this person is an absolute shoo-in, can you wait?  Then we are well placed with an interim solution.

“Otherwise you might get a few interim solutions,  a few managers to come and help.

“To wait a few months,  if that is what we had to do, would be the right decision.”

Asked about ex-England star Southgate, 45, he replied: “We’re not talking about names today but it would be a pretty obvious one to pick.

“We just don’t know yet who the runners and  riders would be.”